Since I was born, I was raised to be a Christian. I’ve been a Christian for all my 24 years. In that span of time, I have left the bubble of my family life and went off to college, where I was surrounded by those who didn’t have faith. I was challenged for my beliefs, and I even doubted them sometimes. It forced me to take a step away from simply believing something because I was raised to, and I had to take an honest look at my faith and the world around me. As I watch American society today, I have come to a startling conclusion:

I cannot stand “organized religion” anymore. In fact, I hate it. “Organized religion”, in my opinion, is why society is in the toilet. I think the world needs to be rid of “organized religion”.

No doubt some of you who know me personally are shocked at that statement. Allow me to clarify: I think we need to rid the world of the term “organized religion”.

When somebody uses the phrase “organized religion”, and normally I mean celebrities like Brad Pitt and Alec Baldwin, they are being derogative. They are putting your faith down. It’s an insult. Think about this: anytime somebody publicly alludes to the idea that they believe homosexuality is wrong, the media explodes. CNN is full of headlines with exclamation points (and boy, is that channel a joke!), and the world turns them into an outcast. But people regularly go on television and into interviews and puts down entire belief systems, and nobody says a word. They hide behind the publicly acceptable, politically correct phrase, “organized religion”.

I hate it. Look, this is a free country, and I am allowed to be a smart, well-read, Lutheran man. I respect everyone’s right to have their own faith. So why don’t people respect mine? Why can celebrities go on the air and basically say that Christians are idiots, and everybody just lets it go?

No doubt some of you are wondering what this rant has to do with The Practical Nerd in general. Well, I say a Practical Nerd believes in something. A Practical Nerd has faith and stands up for it. If you want to improve your life, take a good, hard look at your belief system and defend it until you are blue in the face. Don’t hide behind the “What’s right for you is fine, what’s right for me is fine” argument, because it inherently says, “Hey, we’re all wrong!”

I’ve written about how I think “open-mindedness” in its current form is crippling American society. I had a subscriber to The Practical Nerd Rules for Life unsubscribe over it – they said it proved how “closed-minded” I am. My reaction: so? Why is that a bad thing? I have beliefs, and I stand by them. What good is your faith if you just roll over and default to whoever’s around you?

We live in a fantastic country. There was a time in this world when just speaking out for your faith was an instant death sentence, and I don’t mean lethal injection. I’m talking about being bludgeoned with rocks until you’re dead, getting tied to a scrap of wood and lit on fire alive, and yes, crucifixion – getting nailed to a piece of wood and left for dead. Today, you can’t do any of that stuff. The worst thing you can get is somebody yelling at you or rolling their eyes. So what are you afraid of?

There’s a difference between being “tolerant” and “accepting” other people’s beliefs. “Tolerant” means you understand that they are there. I understand that there are plenty of people who believe differently than I do, and I can’t/won’t force them into believing what I do. But “accepting” their beliefs means you think it’s okay, which is not. I don’t think it’s okay at all. My beliefs are exclusive of their beliefs, and vice-versa. That means, by believing what I believe, I think they are wrong.

That doesn’t mean that I have to preach to them at every waking moment, or disassociate myself with them. I don’t look down on them or treat them differently. I’m talking about a very important mindset and attitude.

So what do you do, as an aspiring Practical Nerd?

First, you don’t ditch out on your faith because Bill Maher thinks it’s stupid. Celebrities already sway our political vote despite being wildly unqualified. They already show us what to wear and how to act. They teach us to leave this country and adopt kids from other countries. Don’t let them take away our faith.

Second, you do not insult somebody for their beliefs, nor do you treat them differently because of them. Even if you don’t believe in what the Bible says, take a look once at what Jesus did while he was around. He hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes and treated them with respect. He didn’t tell them he thought they were okay. In fact, he flat-out told them they were sinning. But in the face of society, who had treated these people as awful outcasts, he dined with them and befriended them. You do the same. If the differences in faith come up in conversation, have a respectful, calm exchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion is a beautiful thing when done respectfully.

Third, take a good, hard look at your faith. I stand before you today a Lutheran, just as I always have been. But that doesn’t mean I blindly follow it. I continue to educate myself in the faith and take an analytical look at Lutheranism, Christianity, and the world today.

Finally, take a stand. Develop a backbone. Be confident in what you believe in. Regardless of society’s attempts to undermine its importance, your faith makes you who you are. It is the moral compass that drives your actions. It is your foundation. Build on it. Don’t just stand up for it when it is convenient. Defend it against opposition.

Yeah, yeah, it’s not popular. It’s not cool. It’s not what society wants you to do today. But why are we listening to so many people whose sole intents in life are to entertain us and drive up ratings and movie revenue? Get some substance to your life, and remove the term “organized religion” from your vocabulary.

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